10 replies to this topic

[ctopher]

Hello! I recently purchased a used 2015 Fleet shell w/ furnace and stove and plan to carry it on my 2nd Gen Tacoma about 75% of the time. Very excited to have finally gotten a FWC after lots of reading and planning.

 

I plan to add firestone airbags to the truck and would like to upgrade my tires eventually. This site has been very helpful in planning out this setup.

 

My 2014 double cab long bed Tacoma came with Goodyear Wrangler "All-Terain Adventure with Kevlar" tires in size 265/70/16 which have about 20k miles left in them.

 

The tires do not say "LT", so I am assuming they are the "P" rated version which have a Load Range of "SL". However, they have a Load Index of 112, which seems like it should be plenty to carry the truck, camper, and a moderate amount of gear. Yet I have run across several people in these forums saying that P tires are not sufficient to carry the weight of the camper, and you should always get LT tires. I'll be honest and say I'm a little confused on how Load Index/Load Rating/LT vs P all work together.

 

I will definitely be getting LT tires when these eventually wear out, but I would like to run these existing tires for a while if safe and possible. What risks would I run if using the existing tires for a while, before upgrading to LT?

 

FWIW, the lady and I (and our pooch) have a 2-week road trip planned in March and plan to mostly do highway, light-gravel and forrest service roads. Nothing hardcore. Would I be stupid not to upgrade tires before this trip? Will definitely be adding the airbags beforehand.

[ctopher]

If it's helpful, here are the specs for my current tires:

 

https://www.goodyear...ure/sizes-specs

 

See size 265/70/R16

[WillTheThri11]

Look here: https://tiresize.com...ure-wKevlar.htm

 

Some of the sizes/models are E-Rated which is what most folks recommend on here.

 

Best thing to do when thinking about keeping your existing tires would be to load the camper up with everything you'd ever plan to bring and then take a trip to the scales and see if #1 your truck is overloaded (and by how much) #2 if you're tires are beyond their rating.  Try to get the weight at each axle separately and if possible at each corner.

 

Congrats on the camper!

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I think that if the tires were "P" it would be on the tire before the 265/70 15.

The sidewall gives a letter load rating,C,D,E load.

Frank

[ctopher]

Thanks everyone.

 

I believe they are the P rated 265/70/16 tires from the links posted above, giving them the SL Load Range with a Load Index of 112 and a max load of 2,469 per tire.

 

I will measure the weight of the camper/truck combo with camping gear, water, fuel, etc. at each tire and work from that.

 

Any other thoughts on P vs LT tires? Just not sure if there is something other than max load I should be worried about for highway/light offroading. 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

IMO you defiantly want LT tires C rated or higher.

Checked mine the side wall reads LT 265/75 R 16,C rated.

That size works great for our use.

Frank

[rubberlegs]

I think the answer is "it depends", the  usual answer to engineering questions. 

 

Your camper, a shell, should be lighter than ours. I was comfortable using the P-rated kevlar tires that came on our Tacoma. Yours are P-rated from the 112 rating. More here in this thread on comparing P and E rated tires for a Tacoma (I know the title says Tundra, but it has Tacoma sized tires mentioned): http://www.wanderthe...opers/?p=211582

 

I'm comfortable using the P-rated tires on pavement and most gravel and dirt roads. However, I got E-rated after a sidewall puncture on the very rough road from Cerro Gordo towards Swansea. I'm looking for another set of wheels because our P tires only have 9000 miles. I just did a 3500 mile trip where the worst off road was Alabama Hills. I'd do Alabama Hills in a passenger car, nice and smooth most of the way.

 

I was pleasantly surprised that our BFG KO2 tires were not too noisy and got similar mileage as the Goodyear Kevlars. Gotta pump 'em up to a lot higher pressure though (see link where I made a chart). The ride wasn't noticably harsher. Maybe I'm not good at subtle changes though!

 

The P rated tires are not supposed to be pressurized more than 35 psi (despite the max 51 psi label on ours). I used the low 40s for the rear tire, and instead of 30 (Toyota recommended) used 35 (Toyota dealer pressure) for front in our setup. We used them at 15-20 psi off road which went ok for quite a few miles until the puncture. For E-rated, we use 45 front, 55 rear and if bringing too much food, up to 62 rear. I still don't know why tougher tires "need" higher pressure, but am guessing the thicker sidewalls might heat up more.

 

You might weigh your truck empty. Ours was the same weight on the front axle with and without camper. That surprised me. The CG of our camper appears to be on the rear axle. I weigh it most trips cuz I was an engineer and can't help it. Washington state has plenty of scales on the freeways.

 

Also, I'm really pleased with the black Sumosprings instead of air bags or beefed-up springs. Works great, easy to install with (I think) a 19mm wrench. Our have a gap between the "spring" and bump stop when the camper is off, so it seemed to ride normally when empty. At a little above $200, they seem expensive for what you get, but inexpensive compared to other options.

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Edited by rubberlegs, 28 January 2020 - 12:18 AM.

[ctopher]

Thanks rubberlegs, I appreciate the insight. Out of curiosity, have you also tried air bags? I like the idea of the adjustability of the airbags vs. the sumosprings .

[Wandering Sagebrush]

ctopher, I’d encourage you to look at other tires in addition to the two you mentioned.   Here’s a link to a review that Scott Brady/ExPo did a few years back.  The Cooper Discoverer AT/3 was the over all preferred tire.  I’ve had three sets on various trucks over the years, and have been quite satisfied with them.  Regardless, some worthwhile reading.  

[rubberlegs]

ctopher, nope I didn't try airbags. I know most on this chat site use them. A few people have punctured theirs. You pump them up with a compressor, right? I'm enjoying installing and forgetting about our Sumosprings -- no air to deal with.

 

In our case, the Sumosprings lifted the back end perfectly, and I never looked back. They kinda self-adjust in that the more you compress, the stiffer they get (like a spring), but they supposedly dampen a bit too. Maybe air bags also damp out.

 

Here's our Sumospring unsquished (note the gap, all four wheels on ground but no camper installed yet) and squished (that wheel was jacked up, so load is kinda like going over a big rock).

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Edited by rubberlegs, 30 January 2020 - 06:42 AM.